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Next Week: Xfinity Live! Arrives Friday, March 23, 2012

Last summer, we told you about Philly Live!, the entertainment complex being built down by the stadiums, next to where the Spectrum once stood. At the time, construction had just begun, and the anticipated completion date was April 5th, opening day for our beloved Phillies.

Last June

Amazingly, the construction process for this project, since renamed Xfinity Live!, has gone Xtremely smoothly. It's set to open next week, a full week before it was supposed to open.

Recent shot

On March 28th and 29th, Xfinity Live! will be open Xclusively to people holding tickets to the Bruce Springsteen shows at the Wells Fargo Center. On the 30th, Xfinity Live! will open to the general public, and will highlight the evening with a free concert by Third Eye Blind (only because Matchbox Twenty had a prior engagement).

The front of the building, kitty corner to Citizens Bank Park

Closer look

The 55K sqft building will include four separate bar/restaurants, a food-court-type experience called Philly Marketplace, a 2,000 sqft outdoor patio, and a mechanical bull. Oh, and lots and lots and lots of TV's.

Rear of the building. Outdoor patio on the left with views of the Linc

While we don't imagine we'll be spending too many nights here, we're Xtremely enthusiastic about this new addition to the Sports Complex. It's an interesting and unprecedented move for Ed Snider and Comcast-the addition of an attraction that's not specifically about attending a sports event is a sea change for the area. Xfinity Live! will give people a new reason to come down to the Sports Complex, and a place to hang out before or after a game.

We're guessing that this thing will be hugely successful, and that we'll see additional phases in the future. More restaurants? More outdoor drinking space? A VIP tailgating area with luxury bathrooms? A hotel perhaps, as was originally planned? A giant Liberty Bell? A second Philly casino?